Arou, Riel, and Lin made their way toward Lin's house.
When they arrived, Lin opened the door and looked at Arou.
"Come in," she said. "You can come inside with us."
Arou nodded slowly.
"Alright…"
Once they entered, Lin turned toward everyone who had already gathered inside.
"Everyone," she said firmly, pointing at Arou. "This is Arou. He's going to help us fight Vowl."
The room immediately erupted into chatter.
Some looked surprised, while others seemed doubtful.
"He's underestimating Vowl?"
"There's no way he can beat Vowl."
"I don't believe it…"
Amid the commotion, a young boy stepped forward.
It was Nano—the same person who had appeared in Lin's dreams and had now become Arou's new classmate.
"Guys," Nano said, "let Lin finish talking first."
Arou turned toward him in surprise.
"Nano too?"
Nano gave him a small smile.
"Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you, Arou."
"E-eh… yeah," Arou replied awkwardly.
Lin continued.
"Arou will help us fight Vowl and his soldiers. So we have to accept him as part of our team. Even if we're all uncertain about this… we have to believe in miracles."
Everyone fell silent.
After a moment, a girl with dark blue hair stepped forward.
"Arou, nice to meet you. My name is Yui."
One by one, the others introduced themselves.
"I'm Chiyo."
"I'm Julian."
"I'm Asther."
"I'm Ruin."
Arou nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you all."
He then raised his hand slightly.
"Can I ask something?"
"What?" Julian asked.
"What are each of your abilities?"
Asther answered first.
"I'm the defender."
Julian followed.
"I can use all kinds of weapons."
Chiyo smiled confidently.
"I can use any kind of magic."
Ruin spoke quietly.
"I can only see the identity and rank of my enemies."
Yui added,
"I can use magic of every element."
Arou stared at Ruin for a moment before pointing at him.
"You can only see their identities?"
Ruin lowered his head.
"Sorry… I probably won't be much help."
"No," Arou said firmly. "You're actually the most useful one here."
Ruin looked surprised.
"Why?"
"If you can see an enemy's identity and rank before we fight, we can plan our strategy properly. Without you, we'd be going in blind. That makes you the most important member of the team."
Ruin smiled faintly.
"I see…"
Arou then turned toward Riel.
"What about you?"
"I can interfere with the enemy's vision," Riel answered.
Arou looked at Nano next.
"And you?"
"I'm a long-range attacker."
Arou nodded slowly.
"So you're all built around team combat."
He paused before asking,
"So… there are only eight of you?"
"Yeah," Lin answered. "How many friends do you have?"
Arou gave a faint smile.
"Not that many."
"How many is 'not that many'?" Lin asked curiously.
Arou glanced toward the door.
"Come with me to my house."
Without asking any more questions, everyone exchanged glances before eventually nodding.
That night, they all headed toward Arou's house.
Along the way, Arou looked at Ruin.
"Ruin."
"E-eh? Yes?"
"I'm curious about your identification magic. Can you see my identity too?"
Ruin nodded.
"Sure."
Everyone stopped for a moment.
Ruin focused his gaze on Arou. A few seconds passed before his expression became slightly more serious.
Identity Revealed:
Name: Arou Sikita
Age: 16
Title: Fighter
Rank: 6
Specialty: Battle IQ
Time of Death: —
Dream Partner: Airi Mikami
Real-World Partner: Angelica Shina
Ruin read the results aloud.
"Arou Sikita, sixteen years old. His title is Fighter. His specialty is battle intelligence and strategy. He's ranked sixth among his friends. His partner in the dream world is Airi Mikami. And his partner in the real world is… Angelica Shina."
Arou went silent.
"…Angelica Shina? Who the hell is that? I don't even know her. Why is she suddenly listed as my partner in the real world?"
Ruin shrugged.
"Don't ask me. I only read what's written."
Arou sighed.
"Whatever. Maybe your magic is broken. Come on, let's hurry home."
They continued walking.
---
When they arrived at Arou's house, he opened the door.
The house was unusually quiet.
Arou invited Lin, Nano, Asther, Julian, Yui, Ruin, Riel, and Chiyo inside and had them sit in the living room. He then called for the others.
Not long after, Hikari, Lumina, and Nora came out of their rooms.
Airi and Shi followed.
Then Priscilla and Akari appeared as well.
Still half-asleep, they all came down the stairs.
Nora yawned widely.
"What is it…?"
Akari blinked.
"E-eh? You brought friends?"
Airi narrowed her eyes.
"You woke us up just to show off your friends?"
"No," Arou answered seriously. "This is important."
Riel looked around.
"You have the same number of people. Eight."
"No," Arou replied. "There are more. They just haven't come into this world yet."
Lumina rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"What are you doing, Arou…?"
"I said this is important."
Arou then began explaining everything that had happened.
Airi fell silent for a moment.
"So… we're going to fight Vowl?"
"That's right," Arou replied. "And it looks like this won't be easy."
Shi asked,
"Do we know where they are?"
"Not yet," Lin answered. "The portal hasn't appeared."
Arou looked at Airi, Hikari, Nora, Priscilla, Akari, Shi, and Lumina.
"Hey, introduce yourselves first."
Hikari smiled brightly.
"Oh, right. I'm Hikari. Nice to meet you all."
"Shi," Shi said simply.
"I'm Nora," Nora said while playing with her cat ears.
"Airi," Airi said quietly.
"I'm Akari."
"Priscilla."
Lumina, still half-asleep, mumbled,
"Lu… Lu…"
Arou suddenly tickled Lumina's stomach.
Lumina immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahaha—!"
"Now introduce yourself properly," Arou said.
"O-okay! Hahaha… I'm Lumina! Arou, stop!"
Arou stopped.
Lin smiled faintly.
"Hi, everyone."
Ruin suddenly looked at Airi.
"Miss Airi?"
"E-eh? Yes?" Airi replied.
"Are you really Arou's girlfriend?"
"A-eh—"
Airi blushed.
"…Yes."
Ruin nodded with satisfaction.
"So they're all your children? You've been busy."
Airi's face turned bright red.
"W-what?! N-no! I—"
"What are you talking about?" Arou cut in.
"They're not?" Ruin asked innocently.
"No!" Arou said firmly. "They're all our friends."
Lumina pointed at Hikari.
"What about her?"
"Huh? Me?" Hikari looked confused. "What about me?"
"She's Airi and Arou's daughter," Nora casually explained.
Hikari nodded.
"So?"
Airi fell silent, her face turning even redder.
Arou also went quiet.
Asther laughed.
"Hahaha. What an awkward family."
Julian smiled.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Riel spoke up.
"We only came here for one reason—to ask for your help, just like Arou explained."
Arou nodded.
"Ah… right."
The living room became quieter than usual.
Everyone sat in a half-circle. The main lights were on, while the ticking of the wall clock quietly filled the room—as if reminding them that time was not on their side.
Arou stood in the middle.
"Alright," he said calmly but firmly. "Let's begin our first strategy meeting."
Everyone's eyes turned toward him.
"I'll be honest," Arou continued. "We're going up against Vowl and his forces. We don't know how many of them there are, where they are, or when they'll attack. So right now, our only advantages are information and teamwork."
Ruin raised his hand slightly.
"Then my role is clear. I'll be the main scout. Before any battle begins, I need to identify the enemy."
Arou nodded.
"Exactly. You're our top priority. You stay out of the front line."
Ruin looked surprised, then smiled faintly.
"…Understood."
Asther crossed his arms.
"What about defense?"
"You and Priscilla," Arou answered immediately. "Asther will be the main defender. Priscilla will back him up and cover any openings."
Asther nodded.
"Got it."
Julian leaned back against the sofa.
"I'm flexible. I can use any weapon."
"You'll be our all-rounder," Arou said. "Cover any weak points and support the attackers."
Chiyo smiled faintly.
"What about me?"
"You and Yui," Arou answered. "Chiyo handles versatile magic and adapts to the situation. Yui focuses on large-scale elemental attacks."
Yui nodded firmly.
"I'm ready."
Arou then looked at Nano.
"You're our long-range attacker. Stay toward the back, but keep moving."
Nano smiled confidently.
"Leave it to me."
Riel spoke quietly.
"I'll interfere with the enemy's vision."
"That's crucial," Arou said. "Once their vision is compromised, we control the pace of the battle."
Everyone nodded.
Arou then turned toward his own group.
"Hikari."
"Ready!" Hikari answered immediately.
"You'll be the distraction. Your speed and movement should keep the enemy off balance."
Hikari grinned.
"Hehe. Sounds fun."
"Nora."
Nora raised her cat ears.
"Me?"
"You're the disruptor. Get in and out, keep them confused."
"Shi."
"I'll stay in the middle," Shi answered without hesitation.
"Right. You'll pressure them at close range."
"Akari."
"I'll be quick support," Akari said. "I can move between groups."
"Lumina."
Lumina let out a small yawn.
"Hmm?"
"You're our mysterious reserve," Arou said. "We still don't fully understand your abilities, so don't use everything you have yet."
Lumina nodded lazily.
Arou then looked at Airi.
The room suddenly became more serious.
"Airi," he said. "You're the core of our strength."
Airi nodded slowly.
Arou took a deep breath.
"To sum it up—we're not a team built around one-on-one fights. We're a team that controls the battlefield."
He looked at everyone one by one.
"If we get careless, we lose. But if we fight as one… even Vowl can be brought down."
The room fell silent.
Julian smiled faintly.
"…Interesting leader."
Lin finally spoke.
"What if the portal appears?"
Arou clenched his fist.
"We don't attack first."
Everyone turned toward him.
"We observe," he continued. "Gather information. And only make a move once we're certain."
Ruin nodded firmly.
"Safe strategy."
Arou glanced at the wall clock.
"That concludes our first meeting. From now on—we're one team."
The living room fell silent again.
But this time, it wasn't because of the strategy.
Airi slowly stood up.
"Arou," she said calmly but firmly. "I don't mind fighting. But I don't want to be ordered around."
Hikari immediately raised her hand.
"Yeah! I'm fighting because I want to, not because someone told me to."
Nora crossed her arms, her cat ears twitching in annoyance.
"We're not your soldiers."
Priscilla looked straight ahead.
"I'm helping because I choose to. Not because I was ordered to."
Lumina yawned softly.
"It's tiring when people keep giving orders…"
Akari nodded slowly.
"Arou, we trust you. But that doesn't mean we want to be your subordinates."
Shi spoke the shortest.
"I fight my way."
The atmosphere in the room immediately grew heavier.
Lin's group exchanged glances.
Julian raised an eyebrow.
"…This doesn't look like a team."
Asther clicked his tongue.
"If this continues, the strategy will fall apart."
Riel looked at Arou.
"If they refuse to follow orders, how are we supposed to fight?"
Arou didn't answer right away.
He lowered his head for a moment… then smiled faintly.
"Good."
Everyone fell silent.
"If you all blindly followed my orders without thinking," Arou continued, "that would actually worry me."
He looked at each of them.
"I'm not your commander."
Everyone looked surprised.
"I'm just the one who points us in the right direction," Arou said calmly.
"You're free to move however you want. You're free to make your own choices. But if I speak during a battle—that's not an order. It's a warning."
Airi stared at him.
"And what if we don't follow it?"
Arou shrugged.
"That's your choice. But I'm not going to save you from a reckless decision."
Hikari grinned.
"So we're equals?"
"Equals," Arou replied.
"But we still have the same goal."
Nora chuckled.
"Hmph… that makes more sense."
Priscilla closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"Then I'm in."
Lumina smiled faintly.
"If it's just guidance, I can still listen while sleeping."
Akari let out a relieved breath.
"Alright."
Shi nodded.
"Fine."
Lin looked at Arou with admiration.
"You're not an ordinary leader."
Arou glanced at her.
"I just don't like forcing people."
Riel smiled faintly.
"A strange team… but a strong one."
Arou looked at everyone.
"From now on," he said,
"we fight not because we're ordered to—
but because we choose to protect this world."
No one objected.
And for the first time that night—
the team was truly formed.